Mud-guard for vehicles.



' Patented .Ian. 2|, l902..

, T. COCHRANEQ MUD GUARD FOR VEHICLES.

' 'pp pt.7,1901.)

ation filed Se (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. e9|,445.

Patented Jan. 2|-, |902.-

T COCHRANE MUD GUARD FOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Sept. 7, 1901.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Shaat 2;

Tiams Caafim/vve abtonneq UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS COCI-IRANE, OF BUFFALO, NEXV YORK.

MUD-GUARD FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,445, dated January 21, 1O2.

Application filed September 7, 1901' Serial No. 74,6 80. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS OOCHRANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie andState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mud-Guards for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mud-guards for vehicles; and its object is to provide a guard adapted for use with carriages, wagons, automobiles, and wheeled vehicles generally and means for supporting the guard upon the vehicle-axle.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a mudguard which may be adjusted to different lengthsand is capable of being easily applied to or detached from the vehiole-axle.

The construction of the improvement will be fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form part of the specification, and its novel features will be defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a vehicle-wheel equipped with my invention, the axle being shown in verticalsection. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, partly broken away, of the guard and axle shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the outersupporting-plate of the guard. Fig. 4 is a similar view of one of the semicircular supports for the stationary member of the mud-guard. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention adapted for automobiles shown applied to an automobileaxle. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another modification. Fig. Sis a vertical section of another modification embodying the construction shown in Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the device designed for attachment to a round axle.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the numeral 1 designates the stationary member of the guard, and 2 the movable or adj ustable member thereof, each comprising a metallic plate bent to conform to the circular form of the wheel above which the guard is supported and of concavo-convex shape in cross-section. The inner stationary member 1 is bent outward and then inward upon itself at each of its side edges to form grooves 3 to receive outwardly-projecting flanges4,formed by bending the edges of the outeradjustable member 2. The two members are'thus united, the outer member being slidably secured upon the stationary member. To support the guard member 1 above the wheel, I employa plurality of radially-disposed rods 5, to the upper end of each of which is secured a semicircular bracket'6. These brackets fit sn ugly within the concavity of the member 1 and are boltedthereto and are formed with pro jecting end flanges 7, upon which the projecting edges of the guard members rest. As shown in Fig. 4, the upper ends of the rods 5 extend through and are secured to one of the end flanges 7 of the brackets 6. The lower and inner ends of the rods 5 are firmly clamped between semicircular securing-plates 8 and 9,

said plates being formed with registering rawhich the curved inner ends 17 of the rods 5.

extend to further secure them. The inner plate 9 is formed with a recess 18 to adapt it to fit over the axle, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and the two plates 8 and 9 are firmly bolted together, as shown at 19. These plates are further secured upon the axle by a brace 20, secured at its ends to the plates and axle, respectively, by bolts 21 and 22.

From the description thus far in connection with the drawings it will be apparent that the member 1 of the guard is held firmly in position by the rods 5 and that the latter are socured by the clamping-plates 8 and 9, located on opposite sides of said rods. The outer member 2 may be adjusted upon the stationary member 1 as may be desired, the said member 1 being provided at one end with a stop-flange 23 to limit the movement of the adjustable member in one direction. The guard members and their supporting devices may be removed from the wheel and axle by removing the securing-bolts.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown anembodiment of the invention designed for use upon automobiles, and in these figures 24 designates the axle of the vehicle, formed at each end with a yoke 25, having openings to receive the pivotscrews 26 of an oscillatory standard 27, from which projects a stub-axle 28, upon. which the wheel is mounted. EX- tending through the standard 27 is a rod 29, to which is hinged the inner plate 30 by hinges 31, having eyes 32, alining with eyes 33, projecting from the rod 29 and secured thereto by pintles 34. The outer plate is formed integral with the head 36 of the upper pivot-screw 26, and the inner plate 30 is braced by a removable block 37, the lower end of which rests on the head 36 of the screw. The two plates 30 and 35 are formed with radial registering grooves to receive the inner ends of the rods 5 and are secured together by bolts 37. Both of said plates are cut away, as shown at 38, to adapt them to fit over the standard 27, and, as illustrated in Fig. 6, by removing the brace-block 37 the in ner plate 30 may be swung inward to release the rods 5. It will be understood that the outer ends of the rods 5 shown in Figs. 4 and 5 are adapted to support the brackets 6 and the guard members in the same manner as has been described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

In Fig. 7 the construction is modified by forming both of the plates 39 and 40 with semicircular recesses 41, and instead of the form of boxing shown in Figs. 2 and 3 I provide a boxing 42, adapted to be secured to the end of the axle, as shown in Fig. 8, by a screw 43 and nut 44. The boxing 42 is secured to the inner plate 40 by an angle-arm 45, formed integral with the boxing and bolted to the plate 40.

In Fig. 8 two pairs of plates are-provided, one pair on each side of the wheel. The outer pair consists of the inner plate 40, secured to the boxing 42 by the angle-arm 45 and to the end of the axle by the screw 43, and nut 44, and the outer plate 46. The inner pair of plates 47 and 48 are secured upon the axle in substantially the same manner as has been described in connection with Fig. 2, and,as will be obvious from the illustration in Fig. 8, the rods 5, clamped between the plates, support both sides of the brackets 6, to which the guard member 1 is fixed.

In Fig. 9 the plates 49 and 50 are secured together by bolts 51, which pass through reinforcing strips or blocks 52, which add strength and rigidity to the plates. The boxing 53, projecting from the inner plate 50, is of semicircular form to adapt it to fit upon a round axle.

, I would have it understood that the invention is not restricted to all of the details of construction here shown and described and that I reserve the right to make all such variations and modifications as may fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim- 1. A mud-guard for vehicle-wheels, comprising a fixed member and an adjustable member, radial rods for supporting the fixed member upon the vehicle-axle, and securing means for said rods consisting of clampingplates formed with seats for the inner ends of the rods.

2. A mud-guard for vehicle-wheels, comprising a fixed member conforming to the circular form'of the wheel, and an adjustable member guided on the fixed member, clamping-plates supported upon the vehicle-axle and formed with registering radial grooves, radial rods having their inner ends supported in said grooves, and brackets at the outer ends of said rods upon which the fixed member of the guard is supported.

3. A mud-guard for vehicle-wheels, comprising a fixed member conforming to the circular form of the wheel, and an adjustable member guided on the fixed member, clamping-plates supported upon the vehicle-axle and formed with registering radial grooves, radialrods having their inner ends supported in said grooves and bent to project through openings in one of said plates, and brackets at the outer ends of said rods upon which the fixed member of the guard is supported.

4. A mud-guard for vehicle-wheels, comprising a fixed member and an adjustable member, the edges of the fixed member being bent to form grooves while the edges of themovable member are flanged to fit said grooves, radial rods for supporting the fixedmember upon the vehicle axle, clampingplates to which the inner ends of said rods are secured and means for securing and bracing said plates to the axle.

5. The combination with a mud-guard for vehicle-Wheels, comprising a fixed member and an adjustable member, of radially-disposed rods supporting said fixed member, clamping-plates for securing the inner ends of said rods, a boxing projecting from one of said plates, means for securing said boxing to the axle, and means for securing the plates together detachably. I

6. The combination with a m ud-guard comprising a fixed member and an adjustable member, of radiallydisposed rods, semicircular brackets attached to the outer ends of said rods, means for securing said brackets to the fixed member of the guard, a securing device for the inner ends of the rods comprising radially-grooved plates, and means for securing said plates together and to the vehicleaxle.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS COCHRANE.

lVitnesses:

A. O. KELLER, ERNEST W. SCHNEIDER. 

